Page 2. The seasons

Spring

Kōanga is the Māori word for spring (September to
November). It includes the word ‘kō’, a digging implement:
spring was the time for digging the soil. ‘Takē Kōanga,
whakapiri Ngahuru’ (absent at planting time, close by at
harvest) refers to people who disappear during the hard work
of planting in spring, but show up when food was abundant at
the autumn harvest.

Light spring showers were known as ‘ua kōwhai’ or kōwhai
showers, referring to the September bloom of yellow flowers
on the kōwhai tree.

Summer

Summer, from December to February, is known as raumati.
One tradition holds that Te Rā (the sun) and Hine Raumati
(the summer maid) had a child, Tānerore. The saying, ‘Te haka
a Tānerore’ (Tānerore's war dance) refers to the shimmering
of the hot air during summer.

In other traditions, Parearohi, the wife of the star Rehua
(Antares), personifies heat-shimmer. When she dances around
the margins of the forests, summer is approaching.

Summer and Rehua (Antares)

Antares is one of the brightest stars in the night sky.
Known to Māori as Rehua, it was closely linked with summer,
when it became visible. There is a saying, ‘Te tātarakihi, te
pihareinga; ko ngā manu ēnā o Rēhua’ (the locust and the
cricket are Rehua’s song birds) because these creatures sing
when the heat of summer has arrived.

The flying kēkerewai or green manukau beetle was also
known as ‘Rehua’s bird’. Plentiful in summer, the beetle was
harvested for food when it became trapped in mud around
streams and lakes. Similarly, ‘Ngā pōtiki a Rēhua’ (Rehua’s
infants) were the fish maomao and moki, which ran in large
shoals during summer.

Weather reports

Days of good and bad weather were compared to the
birthdays of good-natured or unpleasant ancestors. On a
beautiful day people would say, ‘Mehemea ko te rangi i
whānau ai a Te Rangitauarire’ – ‘It’s like the day when Te
Rangitauarire was born’. On a stormy, miserable day, they
would say, ‘Mehemea ko te rangi i whānau ai a Te Tuarariri’
– ‘It’s like the day when Te Tuarariri was born’.

The trials of summer

Māori often expressed a negative attitude towards the
arrival of summer. ‘Rehua whakaruhi tangata’ meant Rehua the
weakener, and referred to the exhaustion which summer could
bring about. ‘Ngā te rā o te waru’(‘the days of the eighth
month’, in the traditional lunar calendar) meant the height
of summer, when food was often scarce. ‘Rehua pona nui’
(Rehua of the big joints) referred to how the summer heat
could make people lose weight and their joints appear
larger.

Autumn

The name for autumn was ngahuru, an archaic word for ten.
This was because autumn started during the tenth month
(February–March) in the traditional calendar. Ngahuru was
also the name for harvest, which occurred at this time. The
saying ‘Ngahuru, kura kai, kura tangata’ (harvest-time,
wealth of food, the wealth of people) indicated that food was
plentiful in autumn.

Winter

Hōtoke and Makariri were two words for winter (from June
to August), and for cold. Winter was associated with the star
Sirius or Takurua – another word for winter. People would
say, ‘Takurua hūpē nui’ (winter, when your nose runs).